5 killed on Macleod trail crash - Update: GUILTY!

[fredr123]

What kind of actions would you have liked to have seen out of Mr. Tschetter? What could he have done post-accident that would have satisfied you that this really was an accident?

For me, I think I could forgive all the stuff he did after the accident except for him tossing that vodka bottle. That sticks out for me. The rest probably could be attributed to being in shock following a really horrific crash.

[4X4]

Screw that. I call BS to the Nth degree. You've got to be about the stupidest person in the world to mistake a vodka bottle for a water bottle - unless you use an empty vodka bottle for a water bottle. Nice try, a-hole. You better hope the judge is sipping vodka a'la Cheech and Chong if you hope to get away with that story.

[burn_this_city]

You should be the first person on the scene trying to administer first aid. I dont even think he did a thing aside from wander up for a look at the car then tried to cover his tracks. Pathetic.

[4X4]

And furthermore, what was the bottle doing bouncing around within grabbable distance? Who carries a half a bottle of vodka for customer appreciation? Riiiiight. Customer appreciation. "Thanks bud, for letting me supply the concrete for this pour. Here, have a sip of this bottle that I carry around..."

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by fredr123

What kind of actions would you have liked to have seen out of Mr. Tschetter? What could he have done post-accident that would have satisfied you that this really was an accident?

For me, I think I could forgive all the stuff he did after the accident except for him tossing that vodka bottle. That sticks out for me. The rest probably could be attributed to being in shock following a really horrific crash.

Phone the police/ambulance, perhaps?

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

You should be the first person on the scene trying to administer first aid. I dont even think he did a thing aside from wander up for a look at the car then tried to cover his tracks. Pathetic.

Anything short of that is "guilty" behaviour in your mind? I dunno. I've never come upon in a scene that horrific, let alone been directly involved. I'm not sure how I would react. Does anyone?

Again, I'm not trying to defend Tschetter or anything that happened before the accident. I'm just looking at what happened afterwards, holding the vodka bottle tossing aside, and seeing a response that was probably not that out of the ordinary.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by fredr123

What kind of actions would you have liked to have seen out of Mr. Tschetter? What could he have done post-accident that would have satisfied you that this really was an accident?

For me, I think I could forgive all the stuff he did after the accident except for him tossing that vodka bottle. That sticks out for me. The rest probably could be attributed to being in shock following a really horrific crash.

I agree. The Vodka thing turns everything on its head though. I don't think many people "mistake" a plastic water bottle for a glass vodka bottle. At least, not more than once. Furthermore, if it was only one belt, leaving the bottle would have made sense to demonstrate he wasn't drunk. Add that to the fact there was no breathalyzer done makes me think he's lying. It would have been very easy to explain he had the bottle as a gift, had a momentary lapse of attention, caused the collision, and then in shock, took a belt of vodka to calm his nerves and determine his next move. The bottle and BAC test would have confirmed this story as plausible.

What it tells me is he "mistaked" the vodka for water more than a few times. Enough to be actually drunk? Impossible to say. Enough to have had a lapse of judgment/reaction time? Well, there's a horrific collision that suggests that's a distinct possibility.

[4X4]

Cops said the bottle was less than half full. I agree, Thunderball, he must have mistook it for his water bottle many many times.

[Ryan Coke]

I agree fredr--I hate analyzing peoples reactions with things like this. Maybe I am going to far with that, but I do feel that the concern with covering his A$$ is mighty strong for someone who just slammed into a car. Whether he was drinking or not he was in a deep pile, but to be so concerned with his accidental mouth of vodka seems odd to me.

[malcolmk14]

I can't really say because I've never been in a situation with this kind of intensity... but in a moment of panic, "I'm thirsty" is usually not the first thing on my mind.

[KevanGuy]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Cops said the bottle was less than half full. I agree, Thunderball, he must have mistook it for his water bottle many many times.

But that can't be true because, according to 660, the defense said he's a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for 18 years.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

I agree. The Vodka thing turns everything on its head though. I don't think many people "mistake" a plastic water bottle for a glass vodka bottle.

Just curious where everybody is getting that the vodka bottle was glass. I was sure that earlier reports said it was plastic; which is why it survived being in the mixer.

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

But that can't be true because, according to 660, the defense said he's a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for 18 years.

Except for a "few slip ups" (his words as reported by other media outlets)

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Just curious where everybody is getting that the vodka bottle was glass. I was sure that earlier reports said it was plastic; which is why it survived being in the mixer.

I wasn't sure to be honest. I was wondering how they'd know the quantity of vodka if the bottle broke, but everyone was saying glass bottle, and I hopped on the bandwagon. Depending on the brand/size, mistaking vodka for water could be even more preposterous, seeing as most plastic bottles are shaped like flasks and are not round, like a water bottle.

[Burninator]

I think people speculating over what they would have done or what the right actions should be must be pretty comfortable in their internet arm chairs. Everyone is cool calm on the spot johnny when they aren't the ones in a horrific car accident. I would like to think, and hope, that I would be useful and helpful if I was in the same position, but to be honest I don't know what I'd be like and most people don't know either till it happens. Some people can't hold their composure in high stress situations when they are not even the ones involved. (Anyone remember that thread when the guy in the wheel chair was attached to the front a semi-truck and that women phone 911 in a complete panic?). I'm not defending this guy or incriminating him, just pointing out the presumptuous attitude here.

[fredr123]

There's nothing to say that the bottle was full, Tschetter cracked the seal and then chugged more than half of it gone. It could have been in his cab from previous events. He's in shock. Reaches down, grabs a bottle, takes a swig. Ewww, vodka.

Maybe he tossed the bottle and refused to blow because a lawyer once told him to never blow; that it was always better to refuse. A lot of good that advice did him now.

In any event, it doesn't matter whether you or the judge believe Tschetter or not. It's sufficient even if you don't believe the accused's story that if it raises a reasonable doubt you must acquit. Mind you, the vodka thing is a minor part in the grand scheme of things and probably only affects the length of his sentence rather than whether he is guilty or not.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Burninator

I think people speculating over what they would have done or what the right actions should be must be pretty comfortable in their internet arm chairs. Everyone is cool calm on the spot johnny when they aren't the ones in a horrific car accident. I would like to think, and hope, that I would be useful and helpful if I was in the same position, but to be honest I don't know what I'd be like and most people don't know either till it happens. Some people can't hold their composure in high stress situations when they are not even the ones involved. (Anyone remember that thread when the guy in the wheel chair was attached to the front a semi-truck and that women phone 911 in a complete panic?). I'm not defending this guy or incriminating him, just pointing out the presumptuous attitude here.

Answers like that will never get you out of jury duty.

[SeeGeeWhy]

What an infuriating case.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Just curious where everybody is getting that the vodka bottle was glass. I was sure that earlier reports said it was plastic; which is why it survived being in the mixer.

Glass bottle, plastic bottle, doesn't matter. I buy big water bottles all the time and they're just completely different than plastic vodka bottles. Off the top of my head I can think of two kinds of vodka that come in plastic bottles and neither one is remotely similar to a plastic water bottle.

I know we're just arguing a small detail, but I just don't like idiotic lies. Sure, I've never been on the delivering end of an accident like that, so I don't know how I'd react, but I can tell you that I no matter how shocked I was, I could still, even if I screwed up which bottle I grabbed, tell the difference between the taste of vodka and the taste of water. It's just so pathetic.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Answers like that will never get you out of jury duty.

Jury duty pays right? It probably has more job security then my work.